Several days ago, I was spending a good portion of the day at a museum. It was a special museum in that it was in a fairly isolated area and had an amazing, unique collection. Like most museums, they definitely market to families and there was even a special tactile, hands-on room for kids, plenty of outdoor space and gardens, and a family-friendly atmosphere. That said, it was still a museum and despite the mix of appealing exhibits and expensive art, I felt that I had every reason to expect “museum behavior.” Standing in a corner of the main floor with my friend, looking at a particular display, we were both jarred by a sudden din—I assumed that an entire tour bus had just been deposited at the museum doorstep, but when we turned around we realized it was just one family.
Granted, it was a large-ish, multi-generation family of about 6 or 7 members with at least three children—but they were definitely not the only family in the museum. As we moved through each floor and exhibit of the museum, I could tell when the “Loud” family was about to enter the space since I would hear the shouts, clatters, comments and such long before they came into the room. I noticed that we were not the only people trying to maneuver and avoid the being in the same exhibit as the family since they were so obviously loud and seemed to take up the entire space. Instead of being stodgy or judgmental, what I did comment on was that it amazed me how an entire family can have a “culture”—they seemed oblivious to the fact that they were loud and behaving “out of step” with the rest of the museum attendees. It seemed perfectly normal for grandparents, parents and kids to clatter up and down the stairs, call to each other upon entering a room and it seemed to not even cross their minds to talk in the hushed and respectful tones that other people were using.
The “Loud” family influenced my museum experience where it normally does not affect me in any negative or obvious way who else is in a museum. Just as the “Loud” family can completely change a person’s experience at a restaurant, riding on a plane or bus (I remember a train trip with a “Loud” family in our car and that is just about all I can remember from the trip.) They were not swearing or particularly ill-mannered in any other way, but the fact that they were so loud seemed disrespectful and all the while, they were completely oblivious.